Dolly Math

I have only a very vague idea, but I could buy a very nice new car with all the money I've spent on dolls. But I really don't care about cars; I'm happy with my 10 year old clunker. I do however absolutely love dolls, so I have no regrets!

 

I don't want to do the math RIGHT NOW, but almost a year ago I DID do the math (Of course things have changed, I've gotten some of my money back through sales and spent it again on different dolls...) and the total came to somewhere around $3,500, if I remember correctly. I wasn't even surprised. What is wrong with me.

 

I think I'm at 3000 or so right now, between the expensive taste in dolls and all the things that go with them. However, I'm used to expensive hobbies. I used to collect a LOT of anime and manga. It might not seem like a lot of money. 20 dollars here and there for a DVD. but it adds up fast. Plus I cosplay and fabric isn't cheap...so I guess I'm just used to hobbies that cost a bit of money.

 

Thousands, but I love them and don't really think you can put a price on happiness and that justifies it to me. I always find it amusing that people think they are so expensive but don't think twice about spending that much on other (more acceptable???) things. I think you should do what makes you happy and enjoy it

 

I keep a vague running total in my head. Part of me winces every time it goes up significantly, but whatever. I enjoy the hobby. It makes me happy most of the time. As long as it's not putting me on the street.

 

Probably between $500 and $700 (US Dollars), which is minor league compared to some of you. Although I do not want to think about what I've spent over the years on knitting supplies!

 

Oh my gosh, I really do not want to think about it. I'm not going to do a thorough calculation now, but maybe... $10 000-20 000? That's counting dolls, wigs and eyes, since apart from the occasional outfit, I make all clothes myself. I also do most of the painting and maintenance work myself.

I've thought about it sometimes before (then tried to un-think it as fast as possible), but honestly, I regret nothing. My dolls are precious to me, which is why the amount has gotten so extreme; I can't sell any O.o

 

Oh, I've accepted that my dolls are worth more than my car. Most of the things I've collected/hobbied over the years are worth more than my car and I have no regrets.

 

I don't think I really want to know, because it's probably getting to the point where the total would have paid for almost half of my student loan....
But hey, the loan's getting paid and I have no other debt than that, I'm not on the street and I love my dolls. I have no regrets XD

 

Yikes LOL... If I do some quick totals NOT including income from dolls I have sold I'm around the $15k mark, if I were to take into consideration the amount of money I have handled and spent on behalf of others in group orders my Fairyland account alone has racked up over $13k so A LOT... having said that I have sold almost as many dolls as I have purchased so its all balanced, If I reflect on the dolls I currently own then its around $2k in total Not bad for things others consider just "toys" hey LOL

I'm fully aware and have only ever had one "oops" moment where I thought that wasnt the best idea AFTER I did it, but 7 years into collecting BJD and 20 years into collecting dolls as a hobby; I know where my money goes and when its time to splurge vs when its time to tighten the belt. I culled almost my entire collection early last year because my current work contract is so time restrictive I knew they would get damaged being shifted from place to place and moved them on. Now I have a little time on my hands I guess I pick and choose more carefully what I do within this hobby....

 

I've never bothered to add it all up... as long as I stay within my household "fun budget", it doesn't matter if I have a dollar figure for any one particular hobby.

That said, I have a large collection of mostly middling-to-expensive dolls, a lot of assorted "doll stuff" (outfits, wigs and props-), and several pieces of furniture purchased specifically to house all of that (Two chests-of-drawers and a matched set of glass-fronted display cabinets-), so the total would add up fast if I did try to make a tally. The display cabinets alone would come to several thousand dollars, before I even got to any of the resin in them. Hobbies are expensive. o_0

 

well, actually I didn’t calculate the exactly spending on this hobby yet. Until now I have 5 dolls and two head, and I am sure the number will still going on in the future. But, I think the cost of buying dolls is not the most cost in this hobby, buying accessories and make up will cost me more. When I count them, they sometimes scare me, so I am afraid to calculate the money. LOL

 

I have absolutely no idea. I don't bond with dolls easily, so I sell many of them, so it's almost impossible to keep up with how much I've spent. The dolls and accessories I currently own total about 1000, and I'd wager to say that's how much I've invested altogether, maybe a little more, since I sell my dolls as close to the price at which I bought them as possible.

 

It is not really that bad. I have limited myself to my doll Family (er...there is also my rolling head Loki, who is still waiting for his body - but he does not count yet). So these were, all in all, about 1.500 $. Then I bought several nice clothing sets, which add up to...900 $? Puuuh, didn't quite realize that. To my luck, I am doing their most elaborate costumes myself. But the material for this (glue, a bit of clear coat here and there, acrylics, sewing thread, pieces of leather here and there) adds up also quite a bit, though I can't really tell.

 

I guess I COULD calculate how much money I've spent on dolls and doll-stuff, so far. Only thing is - I don't dare. *lol* I almost went into shock the other day when I counted my dolls and realized that I have 14 now and the 15th on the way (all sizes, from Realpuki to EID guy) ...

 

How much money have you spent on BJDs all together?

Let's see...not counting the ones I sold...and no outfits or accessories it would be like $3580...but I have changed face ups and my dolls have TONS of clothes and shoes and lots of accessories and expensive eyes without mentioning all the tools and bag carriers I've gotten just for them...I don't buy many dolls but I spoil them like crazy...and my SD boy wears from Sadol mostly...oh my! it could be more than $3000 so alltogether would be like an estimate of $7000.

Did you realize until now how much, in total, you have spent on this hobby?


I always wondered but I was scared to find out, however, it's not that bad now that I see the numbers because It's been 7years of happiness with my dolls, when I see them all dressed up and ready for photos I feel very happy and like in peace lol they make me calm so it's definitely been worth it.

No regrets in the end even though I felt guilty before but one look at my dolls and it's all ok again. I love this hobby and will always love my dolls.

edit: oh and BJDs are not the only dolls I collect, and the Isul and azone dolls I have were not cheap, especially the azone dolls because they were out of stock everywhere so the prices were insane but I was in love and I have no regrets. :p

 

Well let's just say if I turned around and sold all of my dolls, their clothes, wigs eyes and shoes for retail price I would have a NICE down payment on a house. my dolls ALONE have been a collective 13,000. however about half of that is what is currently invested in my current lineup.

 

I think I've spent about $1,350 in total (been in the hobby almost a year). But I agree wholeheartedly with what others have said: the enjoyment and escape this hobby provides is so worth it. And I don't regret shelling out more to the pricier company I prefer, either. If I wasn't paying for the dolls I really wanted, this hobby wouldn't appeal to me anymore. I am completely open about money with other people in the hobby or my close friends, because I know they understand. I'm only guarded about the cost with people that I feel would judge my spending, being unfamiliar with the hobby and the joy it brings me.

Something funny I noticed is that, since I got involved with bjds, I tend to think of money in terms of what doll-related stuff it could buy... like when my husband and I were looking at purchasing a Vitamix blender, I was like, dang! I could buy a new Minifee with that money! Lol

 

Over the two years I've been in the hobby, I know that I've broken $500. I have two dolls and a third on the way, so I guess that's pretty good. I do buy secondhand though (all three dolls were pre-used) and I don't have very much for my dolls (about two outfits each, a carrier, and two pairs of shoes). I guess it also helps that my dolls are in the lower end of the price spectrum and one was severely yellowed when I bought her from a friend. I rarely have enough money to buy a lot of things. But, I don't regret how much I've spent. My dolls give me a lot of comfort and they make me very happy every time I look at them.

 

I posted here before not too soon after I got into the hobby, and I was a bit spazzy about the prices of everything and how much I was spending. I'd say I still am pretty careful with doll purchases overall and don't buy new stuff often, but I've mellowed out a lot about it and don't feel so guilty any more about every little purchase.

That said, I did decide to do some math after seeing this thread again. Last time I posted here, over three years ago, I had spent about $600 altogether including my very first doll and everything needed to start her out like eyes, wig, shoes, and a few outfits. Now, I'm calculating according to all the things I bought and still have that I plan to keep; there are two dolls and some accessory pieces I plan to sell, so I expect to get most of that money back.

Including the three dolls I've bought, their wigs, eyes, clothes, shoes, and accessories, it's about $1,400. If I tried to estimate including the things I plan to sell and things I had before, the number is much higher, but I can't really be sure what--$2,400? I hope to make up the majority of that difference in sales within the summer, so here's to hoping.

I'm actually kind of surprised that the number is that low, though it's certainly not pittance by any standard of course. But I have had a pretty good understanding of how expensive this hobby is and how much it'll probably cost me in the end. I still go over the numbers and math a lot in my head like when I started, and try to prioritize what's worth what to me. I don't really regret it, though I have been feeling like I'm a bit too focused on it all lately. I just don't want to go overboard with my materialism, which I realize that my BJD hobby totally is an outlet for.

Estimated Total Future Spending
I tried looking at my spending and future plans overall after thinking about it, and I realized--I think that if I tried to put a ceiling on when I'll have bought enough to be really satisfied and have most/all of the things I truly want in my collection, it would cap out at approximately $8,000, being generous. Four of my dolls might each have a budget of about $1,500, including the price of the doll themselves, and that would be ample room for large high-quality shoe collections, high-quality eyes, and a decent wardrobe of clothes, wigs, and accessories. I know that's what I want for them--large wardrobes and lots of spoiling.

For the three other dolls, which I consider my 'lite' dolls in comparison, they each max out at about a $300 upon which I'd be overall satisfied with them; all three together don't even have close to the same budget as one of the other dolls. I never planned to buy them a lot from the start, and they have a focused concept so they aren't geared to a large and flexible wardrobe. Combining them, and leaving a bit of wiggle room, that's another $1,000.

Add another $1000 at the end to cap it off for things like furniture and props, which I've always wanted but are at the end of my priority list.

It's a very hefty number, $8,000, but obviously I plan to take my time, and maybe in four to six years' time I'll have reached that goal. None of my dolls individually cost that much, comparatively, two of them even being about $100 by themselves and one being a free gift, so the bulk of that spending would go to shoes, shoes, clothes, clothes, wigs, eyes, and everything else. I would honestly be able to have all my dolls and a decent amount of stuff for each of them at $5k, so at $8k it's like a stretch goal where my starriest doll dreams have come true and I'm drowning in endless BJD things, hahaha.

ali